Talent will continue to reign as the top issue Southwest Michigan First needs to tackle in 2017, according to CEO Ron Kitchens. He believes that the future of communities will depend on their ability to attract and retain Generation X and Millennial workers. To do that, his organization plans to integrate some of its employees into universities around the region, advocate for affordable downtown housing and promote an “open culture,” he said. Kitchens spoke with MiBiz about how economic developers’ jobs are shifting to focus on talent.

While airport executives invest in providing better customer service, the broader aviation industry faces a looming pilot shortage, leading to a period of uncertainty for facilities managers, communities and economic developers as they wait to see how airline carriers respond.

Prior to working as an economic developer in California, Arizona and Ohio, Barry Broome was the founding CEO of Southwest Michigan First in Kalamazoo. Broome started the economic development group in 1999 and stayed until 2005, and during his tenure, helped launch the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center.